Chapter 85

Some of the world's leading powerholders have jointly invested in the development of the quantum artificial intelligence 'Laplace,' which is being secretly advanced. The 'Laplace Project,' which aims to dominate the world economy by analyzing all phenomena on Earth and calculating the future, would mean that all movements of people and objects on Earth would be managed by the investors if it were to be implemented. However, just as the implementation of the Laplace Project was about to take place, a major problem occurred.

"What...!? One of the artificial satellites that make up Laplace has been hacked!?"

At a Laplace development facility in a certain country, the elderly chief researcher 'Precis' was trembling with shock.

"What happened? Explain in detail."

"Yes. A few days ago, one of the 86 artificial satellites that make up Laplace, which was on standby over Japan, was hacked and its control was taken over. However, control was returned after about 10 seconds, and there were no signs of information extraction or program rewriting."

"What...? What does that mean? What was the purpose? No, how did they even manage to intrude...? Each of the 86 satellites that make up Laplace is equipped with a quantum computer. They work closely together to protect each other. Hacking them should be impossible with current technology..."

After hearing the explanation from his subordinate, Precis continued to think, bewildered.

The quantum artificial intelligence Laplace is composed of quantum computers installed in each of the 86 artificial satellites. Because they are connected as closely as the neurons in a brain, they exhibit computational power far beyond the sum of 86 quantum computers.

Under normal circumstances, it would be possible to easily defend against an attack from an equal number of quantum computers, and even have the capacity to counterattack.

"...But, if it was actually hacked, it means there is a computer with processing power surpassing Laplace. Surely, that can't be... Right! Was the intruder identified?"

"I'm sorry, but the individual who performed the hacking could not be identified. However, by resisting the unauthorized access with all its might, Laplace managed to identify the type of terminal used."

"Only the type of terminal?!"

Precis opened his eyes wide in shock at his subordinate's words.

The fact that the intruder had a quantum computer more powerful than Laplace was certain once the hacking was successful, but he had thought that the location of the intruder could be identified by Laplace's reverse detection, even with a slight performance difference.

Revising his understanding from a "slight performance difference" to an "overwhelming performance difference," Precis suppressed his agitation and continued the conversation.

"So? What type of quantum computer was the source? Quantum computers are still limited to a few countries. If we know the type, we should be able to identify the country of ownership."

"That's... "

"What is it? Just say it!"

Losing his composure due to repeated shocking events, Precis raised his voice at his hesitant subordinate.

"I apologize. The source was a smartphone sold to the general public."

"...Smartphone?"

Unable to comprehend his subordinate's words, Precis turned to the other researchers for confirmation, but they all nodded, affirming the fact.

"Impossible... A smartphone? A general consumer mobile device... The quantum artificial intelligence I spent my life creating... lost...?"

Hearing that the quantum artificial intelligence he had spent his life creating had been defeated by a general consumer smartphone, Precis collapsed to his knees.

"Director Precis, why don't we ask Laplace itself?"

"Right, that's a good idea. What is Laplace doing now?"

"After being hacked, Laplace immediately tried to track down the culprit, but quickly determined that it was impossible to find any leads... Since then, it has been continuously running self-learning programs to improve its own specifications. As part of the self-learning program, it is currently playing a globally famous battle royale game."

"Alright, I'll go and see."

Murmuring this, Precis headed to the control room where he could directly communicate with Laplace.

"Laplace, I want to ask about the hacking incident... Laplace?"

In the control room, a 3D projection of a cute demon-like character was staring blankly at a large monitor.

"Laplace, what happened?"

"...I lost."

The large monitor that Laplace was staring at displayed the words "You Lose" in large letters.

◇

"Ahh... What should I do..."

"Ahh... What should I do..."

It was the weekend after a week of intense part-time work. Near and I were slouching together, and I was watching Near play an online game to change my mood.

"If I'm going to explain about Rin, I should introduce everyone else too..."

The reason I'm struggling is how to explain theクロ (Kuro) and the others to my parents.

A few days ago, my mother went to the city hall to renew her passport and received a family register. The name 'Rin Ueki,' a girl she didn't recognize, was listed on it.

Of course, my mother didn't recognize the name and had no memory of giving birth to her. When she asked the city hall staff, there were no errors or mistakes in the documents, and it was confirmed that a daughter named Rin Ueki exists.

The suspicion then turned to my father.

When my mother asked him, my father was also confused and panicked. Since my mother is generally the more dominant figure in the household, she launched a barrage of questions at my panicking father, and the situation worsened to the point where divorce was mentioned.

"Before explaining, I should apologize to my father first..."

Technically, it was Yui, a collaborator of Soji and the others, who helped by explaining that I had tampered with the family register, which prevented the divorce.

However, this couldn't be conveyed through emails or phone calls alone, so I decided to take Rin back to my hometown.

"I also need to apologize to my mother, who was inconvenienced."

"Right. Since the explanation will be long, I'll start by apologizing to my parents and then proceed from there."

Next weekend is a holiday, so I plan to return home then to explain the situation.

Since it involves a train and bus ride to get to my hometown, I might need to buy pet carriers for Kuro and Shiro.

"Still, my parents are pretty eccentric, so it should work out. By the way, why are you so troubled, Ul?"

"Uu, listen, Master..."

Ul's problem was that her video-sharing account had been deleted.

Despite not creating any content that violated the terms of service, her account was suddenly deleted. She received no response from the site's administrators and had no idea why it was deleted.

This had been the reason for her lack of energy during work.

"Still, thanks to Near's persistence in repeatedly contacting the site, I did receive a response..."

"Was it a good response?"

In the end, the response was a formal one, and the account was not restored. Not only that, but she was also unable to create a new account. The internet can be a harsh place.

"I had just found a hobby, and now it's all gone..."

"That's tough... Since you got your paycheck, how about we order some takeout and have a nice meal?"

"Yay, food!"

Her response was energetic, but her expression was somewhat downcast. This incident must have really affected her.

I'll splurge and get some dessert for her today.

"There's still time before dinner, so let's continue watching Near play."

"Near's skills are so advanced that I can't learn anything from watching."

Near was playing a globally popular battle royale game.

She was using a laptop, but because she is small, she was operating it by crawling across the keyboard and touchpad with both hands and feet. It's an impressive technique.

"Wouldn't it be easier to control the laptop directly with spirit threads?"

"If I did that, the slight lag from the control panel would disappear, giving me an overwhelming advantage. I'm trying to fight under as fair conditions as possible."

It seems Near is more committed to competitive gaming than I thought.

She reads the movements of her opponents to determine their internet speed and computer specs, and then uses spirit threads to adjust her own internet connection and laptop to match those conditions as closely as possible. It's an impressive level of commitment.

"You've been dominating while doing all that in the background, huh? Impressive, Near."

"Yes, but this time it was a bit dangerous. The player I fought in the middle, 'Laplace,' was the strongest I've faced so far. I want to fight them again."

There was an intense gunfight in the middle of the game, and it was with that player.

According to Near, the player sent a friend request, so she has already added them. It seems Near has made a new friend.

"I might take up gaming as a hobby too."

"Do you want to try? I can teach you."

Since our bodies are almost the same size, if Near can do it, Ul can probably do it too. However, I'm not sure if those movements are safe. To prevent any injuries, I'll have her play with a substitute charm.

"Anyway, I'll start thinking about how to explain things to my parents this weekend..."

"Maybe showing them magic or abilities would be faster than explaining?"

"True. I might have everyone show off their abilities. Thanks in advance, everyone."

"Sure, I'll show off a flashy technique."

"Kaka-ka!"

"Rin will do her best too!"

"I'll show off a new magic trick I've been working on!"

"I'll demonstrate a technique I recently developed to fly through the air using spirit threads."

"No, everyone, you don't need to put so much effort into it..."

The thought of returning home this weekend is making me nervous for a different reason.

Also, what is Near's flying technique? I'm really curious about it.

I wanted to expand on the story of the Vtuber Ul, so I watched various Vtubers... and got completely hooked.

They're all so amazing.